Volume 1 - CH 3

Chapter 3 - Winter Vacation for College Students

I have time in my college life anyway.

For someone like me, who spent most of my time in junior high and high school studying for entrance exams and club activities, and had very little free time, college life was surprisingly comfortable.

Looking back on my first year of college, I think it was the most fulfilling time of my life.

First circle, first time living alone, cute girlfriend.

He maintained a modest academic record, and it was smooth sailing.

But familiarity is a scary thing.

Gradually, the sense of happiness faded and the life became the norm.

He went to the circle less frequently and cheated on his girlfriend.

It's a monthly thing, but you don't realize it until after you've lost it.

I realized how big a part of the pieces I had filled my mind with.

All I had left was the comfortable life of living alone, but even that is not that fulfilling these days.

"Missed ......."

Touching the kitchen sink, I involuntarily let out such a sound.

I had been skipping cleaning because it was too much of a hassle.

Wipe off the sloppy mucus on the rubber gloves with kitchen paper.

The benefits of living alone are different for everyone.

A comfortable life without parental supervision. You can easily invite your friends or your girlfriend to your house.

But living alone like that has more disadvantages for me now.

I threw my rubber gloves in the trash and paused to clean the sink.

Today I have to go to the university and submit my seminar report to my professor.

It is already three days past the submission deadline, but they tolerate me thanks to the relationship we have built up on a daily basis.

I am proud to say that the quality of the report is higher than usual for this reason, and I am sure the professor will be satisfied.

When you open the front door a few inches, cold air rushes in through the cracks.

"Samiii."

He mumbled and stepped outside.

Soft sunlight greeted me, as if the winter solstice had just passed.

◇◆

My college is just the right size.

The various spots are well dispersed, so there are few crowds except during the lunch break.

They say it is difficult to even discover friends at a university where the grounds are too large, so I can say that my university is a relatively easy environment for communication.

The university, which offers such an environment, is now on winter break.

After finishing my report, I took a walk around the campus for a while, but I didn't see many of my friends or even fellow students.

I was too lazy to go home for the rest of the day, because once I got home, I had to resume the interrupted cleaning process.

When he finds a vending machine, he takes out his wallet in a slow motion.

At the very least, I want to rest and escape reality with a café au lait.

As soon as I put the coins into the slot, the coffee can fell with a clatter.

"...... why?"

I take out the coffee can that fell out, wondering.

Then, from behind me, I heard a familiar voice.

"Hmmm. Thank you for your purchase, seniors."

When I turned around, Mayu Shinohara, formerly known as Santa, was there.

She is just as cute as the first time I met her. It is rare to find a woman who looks so good in a Santa costume.

Shinohara accepts the coffee can from me and happily tries to open it.

How can you be so gleeful about drinking something that was bought with other people's money? Maybe it is because it was bought with other people's money.

"Why are you here? It's winter break today."

Apparently not liking my reaction, Shinohara's cheeks puffed out after she cleared her throat.

"Senior, normally I'd be pretty happy to see you until winter break with me."

"All right, look."

He points to the coin purse in the vending machine, as if he were old enough to do it.

Shinohara seemed to have guessed my intention and pulled out a wallet from her bag. The brand-name item, which is popular among college girls, looks even better in Shinohara's hand.

"Don't be crabby, that was my plan all along. What were you going to buy?"

"Cafe au lait."

"Yes."

Shinohara honestly pushed the button on the vending machine and took out a café au lait.

"It's cold, but is that what you wanted?"

"No problem, I like my cafe au lait cold."

"You'll get cold."

Shinohara said a little worried, but I knew that.

Even in winter, the drinks I buy are always cold.

As I opened the can and drank the café au lait, I could feel a nice sweetness spreading in my mouth. For me, it was a more comforting moment than smoking a cigarette.

"Thank you for the other day, senior."

"Hmm?"

"It's not a "hmm," it's not. It's about Yudo-senpai."

"What, that's it? They already thanked me."

"I know, I said again."

Shinohara took his time opening the can and downed the coffee in one gulp.

"Ugh, bitter."

"Why did you drink ......"

Although the label indicated that it was a low sugar, it apparently still did not suit Shinohara's taste buds.

Shinohara says, "I shouldn't have pushed the button at random," and throws the empty can into the trash.

The winter break trash cans were near empty and the cans were sucked in noiselessly.

"So, senpai. Now that we've had the good fortune of meeting like this, I'd like to make it up to you as soon as possible."

"What about?"

I stopped slurping my café au lait and furrowed my brow.

"I don't need that. It would be weird to make it up to me personally."

It should have been Ayaka who organized the blind date, and it would make sense for her to make it up to him.

I don't think Ayaka would ever ask me to make it up to her about the matter.

But Shinohara shook his head.

"It's more like making it up to me. It's a way of repaying a favor. My senpai saved my life that day."

"Me? I didn't do anything."

"I'm the one who is indebted to you, so please keep your mouth shut."

"You're fucked up, you ......."

The only thing I did that day was to make my opinion known over the phone.

I would be in trouble if I had to repay every favor for such a thing.

"Normally, I'd want them to just have me with them and make good on the debt, but seniors aren't really that kind of character,...... I guess."

He tried to wait for Shinohara, who proceeded to talk alone.

He said, "I, Santa, will grant one request of any kind to my seniors. Anything."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

As I was about to say it, I see a dirty sink in my mind.

Something I have found particularly troublesome recently.

"──Family Matters"

When I said this, Shinohara scowled.

It didn't take long before she blew up.

◇◆

"Hey, are you really coming home?"

When I reached the front door, I reminded Shinohara.

Even though the words were spoken in the heat of the moment, it does not change the fact that they invite girls to their rooms.

I was going to make a joke out of it, but Shinohara agreed after a hearty laugh.

'When I'm done with my chores, I'm going to take a stroll through my senior's house!' with the words "I'm going to go for a walk at my senior's house after I'm done with my chores!

I have little to worry about, since everything that would make me uncomfortable is on my phone, but I still feel uncomfortable at the thought of someone I've known for less than a few days messing around with my home.

"Why does the senior who asked you seem a little uncomfortable? You said you would go."

"No, I still think you should cancel it. I'll just buy you a drink at the cafe there or something. On second thought, I'm good at housework."

"'Don't think too much about it now, we've come this far. It's cold. Please let me in as soon as possible."

Shinohara urges me with a smile that makes me think he is thinking of something evil.

It is a sin that even these expressions look cute.

Eventually I couldn't refuse and unlocked the door.

It had been a long time since I had invited someone to my home.

"Hey, isn't your room pretty clean?"

Upon entering the room, Shinohara sounds bored.

"What kind of room did you imagine this clean?"

The coat I wore yesterday is still in my room, and the bag of snacks I ate in the morning is still on the floor. In addition, there are prints everywhere, and the room is not in the best of cleanliness.

"I was picturing a dump, so this is nothing."

"You came in here so prepared ......"

I am shocked that people associate such a trashy house with me. I don't pay special attention to my clothes, but I try to keep them clean, so I am even more shocked.

Shinohara stretches out her body in spite of my thoughts.

"Well, I was free too. Then, I'll finish cleaning quickly."

After saying this, Shinohara put his coat on the bed and stood in front of the kitchen.

White skin can be seen through the rolled up arms.

"What is it?"

"No, nothing."

I looked away and released the jumper onto the bed.

There is a girl I just met in front of my kitchen at home.

A month ago I would have never thought that was possible.

"If you leave clothes and stuff like that alone, they'll get wrinkled."

"No, I'll do it myself."

He stops Shinohara, who tries to pick up his clothes, and hangs his coat and jumper on a hanger.

When one is alone, one's home is indeed a place of peace and tranquility. However, this cannot be said when others enter the room.

Shinohara told me it was cleaner than I expected, but my usual room is much cleaner.

Suddenly embarrassed by the messy room, I began to clean up anything I saw at random.

"Why do you live alone, senior?"

"Why? Well, you know, a lot of things."

"Ha, it's a lot of things."

Shinohara replies absentmindedly, putting on rubber gloves.

Fortunately, the cleaning supplies were still on the kitchen counter, so Shinohara began cleaning up quickly and efficiently as it was.

"Why are you asking me all of a sudden?"

The loud sound of water flowing from the faucet makes me strain my voice a little.

Thanks to his efforts, Shinohara responded with the same timing as usual.

"I think it's easier to stay with my parents. Because wouldn't it be easier to stay at home? I'm sure there will be food when I get home. I don't think my senpai cooks, so I think that's important."

It is easier to live at home.

That's something I've been thinking about for a while, too.

Living alone is certainly freeing. But as a matter of course, you have to take care of yourself.

This was surprisingly time-consuming, and his mother was great, taking care of not only him but also his family.

"All right, that's it."

"What, are you done already?"

When I look into the sink, it is incomparably cleaner than before. Even the smallest stains have been removed, and it even looks shiny.

"It's amazing, in such a short time. It's like I lied that I thought it was such a hassle."

"I'm used to it. I live alone, too."

Shinohara nodded in satisfaction and tossed the rubber gloves into the trash.

"Then, let's cook lunch next time. You can relax."

"What's the matter, do you want me to buy you something? What's the matter, you want me to buy you something? I don't have any money."

You said, "You said I owe you, stop being weird and watch TV."

He sits up in bed with his back pressed against the bed.

Shinohara didn't seem to want me to help, and reminded me, "It's really relaxing.

Did he see a future where I would try to help and ruin the dish? I'm not that bad of a cook, but if Shinohara doesn't want me to help, I can't blame her.

I reach for the remote control and turn it on.

The program that was shown was a discussion on the issue of celebrity infidelity, which was completely unsuitable for me, as I have little interest in the entertainment industry.

It's the end of the year. What a load of crap.

I get fed up every time I watch a show that covers celebrity gossip. But from the point of view of someone who is interested in celebrities, I am sure they find it interesting.

My phone shook and I looked at the screen as if I was being sucked in.

The screen was notified of a message from Ayaka.

[Let's play!]

Elementary school.

I almost shouted it out.

Normally I would give it a little time before replying, but now I have more time.

I ran my fingers over the talk screen as I moved on to the talk screen.

['You should at least tell me the time and place and what else you're going to do. I don't mind if we play.']

["Twenty-nine evenings, department stores, shopping!"]

[It's tomorrow!]

When he asks me out at the last minute, I guess he thinks I have nothing planned. It's even more frustrating that I'm right.

From there, the exchange with Ayaka continued for a while. All of it was nonsense, but it was a better use of my time than watching gossip shows that I had no interest in.

Just as we were about to switch to the topic of the recent blind date, Shinohara called out to me.

"Thank you for waiting, senpai."

When I turned toward the voice, I saw that Shinohara was bringing in a platter.

I put my phone in my pocket and sit up from the bed.

There were many sandwiches on the platter.

"Oh!"

I was unintentionally excited. I had not been aware of it since I was only asked to cook by chance, but when I think about it, a home-cooked meal by a girl is not something that happens often to me as a single person.

In response to my reaction, Shinohara shrugged his shoulders.

"I could only make something like this because I had everything on hand. Next time, senior, please make sure your refrigerator is a little fuller."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. ...... looks so good."

Tuna, eggs, ham cabbage, and all the sandwich staples. It is amazing to think that something so solid came out of that rusty refrigerator.

"I'm glad that's the case. If they were that happy with a sandwich, I wanted to make a more elaborate dish."

I want to reach for the sandwich on the desk right now, but first I need to say hello.

"Thank you for making it. Thanks for making it."

"Go ahead, it was worth it."

Shinohara smiled shyly.

The first time I saw this expression, I involuntarily stopped my hand to pick up the sandwich.

"What's wrong?"

I thought, "Oh, ......, no. I thought you might have that look on your face."

After thinking about misrepresenting the situation, I revealed my feelings as they were.

I thought he would say, "That's creepy," but Shinohara's reaction was different.

"What did you look like? Me."

"He seemed embarrassed. No, it's embarrassing for me to tell him that."

"...... I see."

Then Shinohara put his index finger on his chin as if thinking about something.

"'......, that's a weird one.'"

I muttered to myself and then chewed on my sandwich.

The thin layer of mayonnaise went very well with the ham and lettuce.

Lately, convenience store bento has been my staple food, so just the fact that someone made it for me makes it taste good.

Shinohara also seemed to have stopped thinking and decided to eat his sandwich, greeting it with a light tone of voice, "Itadakimasu!

It would seem strange to have dinner with someone at home, but Shinohara, with her coat off, is strangely at home.

"I was wondering if you are a member of any clubs?"

"Hmm? I'm in a basketball circle, in case you're wondering."

I put "just in case" because the circle activities are held twice a week, whereas I participate in the activities only once a month or so.

"Why?"

"I was in club activities for a while after I entered university. I was in club activities for a while after I entered the university. I am interested in ordinary college students like my seniors."

"You're around, you're around."

If you are as good looking as Shinohara, people will come to you even if you do nothing.

But Shinohara shook his head vehemently, "Not at all!" and shook his head vigorously.

"There are a lot of so-called "Parisians" around me. As you can see, I'm cute, so people like that come to me first."

The only person I know around Shinohara is Motosaka, but surely people like that would want to talk to Shinohara.

As for the fact that he said he was cute and plainly said he was cute, it's too late for that, so I'm not going to get into it.

"I'm not paralyzed to the point where I think people like that are normal. I've just recently grown tired of such associations."

"Is that why you went out with Motosaka?"

"Well, yes. As I said before, I was interested in the kind of romantic events that college students seem to do. I mean, please don't rehash this, I'm still sorry about this."

Shinohara was chagrined and chewed a large portion of his sandwich.

He was a good eater. However, it seems that the sandwiches stuffed into his cheeks were over capacity, and Shinohara gulped down a glass of water as if in a panic.

"You all right, man?"

After rubbing his back, Shinohara seemed to gradually calm down.

Shinohara then remained silent for a few moments, but eventually opened his mouth.

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"What the hell? I ain't here. If I was, I wouldn't let the girls in the room."

"Ho-ho, you're serious. It's rare nowadays, I tell you!"

The teasing smile makes me think that even you had a problem with Motosaka because you don't like guys who cheat on you.

"What are you thinking?"

"Things you don't like."

"Gee, you're gonna tell him that?"

Shinohara frowned and reached out his arm to take the sandwich again.

Then, as if realizing something, he stood up, bouncing.

"Oh, no, it's a part-time job!"

"Ha, you were before your part-time job!"

If, after Santa, my current part-timer quits because of me, I'll have to pay him back again. Even so, there are probably not many part-time workers who can be made to quit for being late, but even so, there is nothing wrong with being on time.

Shinohara also seemed to have a good sense of punctuality and started getting ready at high speed as soon as he noticed the time. Finally, he put on his coat and moved to the front door with a thump, forcing his feet into his boots. He seemed to be in quite a hurry.

"Sorry about that."

I'd be happy if you could say "Thank you for that, senpai. I'd be happy with a "Thank you for the food!"

Then Shinohara turned to me.

"Here you go!"

He is in a hurry, but he really wants to hear those words. Shinohara is standing there thumping his feet and waiting for me to say something.

Cold air is streaming in through the half-open door, but Shinohara shows no signs of being cold.

He's a cheerful guy.

"Thanks for the food. Thank you."

"Hmph. You're welcome."

Shinohara nodded with satisfaction and turned himself around.

"I'll be back then!"

Shinohara opened the door and ran.

The sound of the stairs gradually becomes more distant and eventually disappears.

I was standing in the doorway, ruminating over what I had just said.

I'll be back, huh?

I'm not a big fan of inviting strangers into my home.

Still, I am sure that is what it is like to be told to come back and not feel bad about it.

"It would be a good laugh if it were a beauty pageant."

Even in the beauty bureau, wouldn't you be happy if you could get a home-cooked meal from such a pretty girl!

I could see the complaint that Shinohara might say, along with that devilish smile.

◇◆

My senior's house was cleaner than I had expected.

I had imagined a more cluttered room, since the word "housework" is so often omitted in requests.

When I opened the lid, there were only a few clothes and prints on the floor. When the senior left the scattered clothes and prints on the bed as if in a hurry, it was enough to make the senior's room look better, which made my visit here less meaningful.

It appears to have been vacuumed, and no noticeable stains were found on the exposed floor.

I thought it would be interesting if a senior who usually seems solid was someone who couldn't get anything done at home, but that didn't seem to happen.

Frankly, it was a bit of a letdown, and I decided to make him lunch with a light heart.

There were only a few ingredients in the fridge, and I couldn't help but open my mouth. With such contents, does the senior think he can cook?

Having no choice, I decided to make a sandwich. Or rather, that was the only thing I could think of that I could make from those ingredients.

It was a sandwich born from such a thought, but my senior ate it with great relish. Seeing him chewing his sandwich with a calm expression on his face, I felt a sense of enjoyment and said to him, "I'm glad that you enjoyed the sandwich.

"I'll be back then!"

Next time, I would like to serve them a well-cooked meal, not a simple sandwich.

I am somewhat unwilling to have such a simple sandwich positioned as my dish.

My mouth was loose as I walked to my part-time job.

The way I met my seniors is probably the worst.

It must be a very bad way to meet someone, one of the many ways to meet someone, to have flyers scattered all over the place while Santa is working.

Still, I quite like the time I spend talking to seniors.

It seems that the way you meet has little to do with the relationship.

I saw the flashing lights and ran out.